Welcome to the WHY Boutique! We offer a wide
selection of clothing and props to inspire and encourage your practice
as well as make the studio-to-street transition more seamless! Choose
from a number of top brands, including Beyond Yoga, Prana, HardTail, Zobha,
Manduka, and Jade. We thoughtfully select each item in the boutique,
taking into consideration which pieces are the best performing,
ecologically sustainable, and can truly benefit your practice. These are
the clothes we wear, the mats we use and the bags we carry. This stuff
works.

We carry many books, DVDs and CDs covering topics such as yoga
instruction, nutrition and health, and meditation. We provide these to
supplement your studio practice, to share yoga with others, and simply
to checkout what national instructors are doing. Many of these
instructors have taught workshops at WHY. In addition, we are always
evolving our inventory to support local artists or innovative businesses
and often have a beautiful selection of handcrafted jewelry, cards, and
hand-poured candles.

Brookstreet Café, at West Hartford
Yoga, is the best place around to grab a quick healthy snack before or after
yoga. We strive to carry only the absolute best and most unique products
that provide the energy or replenishment you need. We have delicious baked goods
and bars, exceptional glass-bottled water, healthy nutritional drinks
and, of course, the power yoga necessity... coconut water! Everything in
the café is free of refined sugar and dairy and many products are also gluten
free. We are looking to enhance your experience of "snack" food and
search high and low to find food companies that are serious about the
quality of their products!

Choosing a Yoga Mat.
A mat provides stability for your practice.
Yoga poses are always built from the ground up, so you want to make
sure you can root your body into a surface that can support the type
of practice you have. Things to consider:

Stickiness. Whether you engage in a
sweaty power practice or a gentle practice may also factor into your
decision. Sweat is slippery... your mat shouldn't be. Mats are
called "sticky" if they have a lot of grip to them. Some mats are
designed for sweaty practices because of the design or texture on
the top. Natural rubber mats tend to be very sticky. PVC mats tend
to be the smoothest and most slippery.

Thickness. Thickness is what makes a mat
comfortable. A "standard" mat is 1/8" thick. There are other mats
available that are at least twice as thick. Think about how you can
best protect and cushion your bones and joints.

Weight. If you
primarily keep your mat in your car, then weight isn't an
issue. However, if you travel frequently or ride a bike, then weight
can become very significant.

Environmental Friendliness. Some mats
are designed to stay out of landfills while others become material
for your compost. On the other hand, traditional PVC mats do not
biodegrade well.

Cost. Standard PVC mats are the least expensive initially, but
require replacement on a regular schedule. Premium mats might cost a
little more, but will last longer. Some mats even have a lifetime
guarantee. A high quality mat is the only piece of equipment you
need for your yoga practice. It makes sense to go with the best.

Whichever mat you select, you'll want to also
consider Yogitoes, a super absorbent towel that is the size of your
mat. This is the best way to keep traction on your mat. Silicone,
earth-friendly "nubs" do the gripping for you.